New Guardians: Ranger Style Emerald Remix
by Erin Roberts Guardian's Light
Summary: In the future, the exploits of the Guardians are mere children stories. But, when those stories turn out to be true, a new generation of Guardians has to take up the duty. They must do so in order to reunite a shattered Heart of Candracar, save the world, and stop the darkness that was able to defeat the Guardians before them.


Author's note: Hello all, haven't written anything new recently, and am looking to get back into writing. Decided to do a restart/ rehash of one of my favorite story ideas. Decided to go with this route in that I have gotten a lot better with my writing and want to tell the story from start to finish as such. So, without further ado I bring the first story of the Emerald Heart mixes, think of them as extended cuts in movies and such, so please enjoy.

* * *

**New Guardians; Ranger Style Emerald Heart Mix**

**Chapter 1- Fairy Tale Reality Part 1: The Return of the Guardians**

It was one hundred years. That was the minimum age of the book that rested underneath her pillow. Her favorite hobby after playing virtual reality games was reading, and this one book was her favorite.

The reason that this book, with its simple brown leather cover, was her favorite was a simple question that involved a long answer. The book was given to her by her father, which was passed down through the family, and was her favorite bedtime story. She enjoyed her father telling her the stories within the brown cover. They were the fantastic tales of five girls named Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin. They were the heroic exploits of the Guardians. They were the girl's heroes.

She remembered asking her dad if she was named after the Water Guardian from the book. This led him to just grin, and tell her that the name of the girl and the Water Guardian was a large coincidence. Though, her family tree on her father's side could be traced back to a woman named Irma Lair, the same name as the Water Guardian within the book.

"Sis, hey, sis," she was aroused from her reminiscing dream by the sound of her brother's voice and a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Not now, Derrick," the girl whined, and flipped over in her bed. She pulled the covers up around her head. "I'm trying to get my rest."

"For that Virtual Reality Grande Prix tournament?" The twenty-one year old boy asked his sister as he strode across her slightly messy room. He was tall, and shared the same sapphire eyes as his sister. However, unlike his sister, he had his mother's raven black hair. He had taken over for their father as the head of the household when he died in the line of duty as a police officer.

"Yeah." She let out a snarled yawn. She was a tomboy and only slept in a pair of light blue panties. It was just more about comfort, and she enjoyed her comfort, especially when she slept.

"Well," Derrick said turning to look at the bundle on the bed from the threshold of the door. "I just came up here to tell you that you have thirty minutes to get dressed and get to the arcade." He ducked quickly out of the room before the bundle shot up, covers flying of the girl's form. Her long brown hair flew in front of her face as she scrambled out of her bed.

She dressed quickly, and after a couple of well placed expletives, the brown haired girl ran down the stairs, practically flying down them to head to the door. She was wearing a pink sleeveless tee, a pair of denim cargo pants, and around her neck was a pair of goggles that she always wore. On the side of the goggles right lens she had drawn a small insignia of a pink jewel wrapped in silver.

"Irma Mizu Landcaster!" Her mother shouted angrily just before the girl was able to grab the doorknob. Usually, she went by her middle name, but she knew to pay attention when her mother used her full name. "You are not going anywhere until you have a decent breakfast."

"But mom," she complained and looked into the kitchen to see her raven haired mother crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her mother's face was a scowl of annoyed anger, and the vein above her left eye was pulsing in the usual way that told her that her mother should not be crossed. "Ondo will hold it over my head if I'm late again."

"Then you shouldn't have stayed up all night reading those stupid fairy tales and gone to bed early." Her mother scowled as Mizu wandered into the kitchen and sat across from her smiling brother at the table. Mizu was given a plate of food with two eggs and a couple of strips bacon, which Mizu began to inhale as quickly as she possibly could.

"Are you even tasting it, sis?" Derrick asked with a chuckle.

"Yetsh..." Mizu mumbled while slurping up the last egg into her mouth. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and again bolted for the door.

"Brush your teeth." Ms. Landcaster said without even looking. A smile spread across her face upon hearing a growl from Mizu and the sound of boots stomping up the stairs. Soon, after finally being relieved from having to do anything, she ran out the door while waving goodbye to her mother and brother.

* * *

The Earth Resettlement Colony of New Heatherfield was situated near the older city by that name, and was one of the thousands of resettlement colonies used in the resettlement of the planet Earth, once its resources and atmosphere stabilized. Mizu enjoyed it. The old ruined city shared the same name as the city within her favorite book. She and her friends would make monthly trips into the ruined city, much to her mother's anguish. They never went very far because of how dangerous some of the animal life could be.

"Where in the name of Zordon is that girl?" Ray Anne Summers said. She put her head back against the wall she stood against. Her dyed, short red hair rested neatly around her petite face, and made her emerald eyes pop from her head. She wore a pair of baggy tan pants, and a loose faded blue shirt with the words Power Ranger scrawled on the front with black marker.

"How should I know? She probably overslept." Ray Anne's sister, Eva, yawned. Her hair was shoulder length, with a pink streak running down the left side of her brown haired locks. She wore a basic gray shirt with a bright pink vest over it. She had on a pair of small shorts that stopped at her knees, and a pair of dark brown ankle boots.

"It's just not very professional." Ray Anne spun up from her slump, and placed her hands on her hips. Eva chuckled at her sister's antics, standing up and patting the younger girl on the head.

"Eva, Ray Anne," Mizu shouted and waved to the two girls. She looked as though she sprinted to the arcade from her house. "I'm not too late am I?"

"No," Eva smirked and pointed her thumb towards to the entrance. "Ondo got here first and registered everyone."

"So, where is Ondo then?" Mizu asked while stopping to catch her breath. Her hands rested on her knees.

"Inside with Amethyst," Ray Anne hopped around with a grin on her face, before heading inside the arcade.

"Good," Mizu stretched and followed her two friends into the arcade. "Then the gang's all here."

"Well, it's about time," Ondo shouted as the three entered the room. She wore a basic green shirt and a basic pair of blue jeans. The Asian girl's long black hair was tied back into a pony tail that swished behind her scowling head.

"Sorry that we don't all get up three hours before dawn, Miss Martial Artist." Mizu spoke while giving Ondo a high five. Mizu's friend was a humble person, hence the reason for her wearing such basic clothing. Last year, Ondo had won first place in a martial arts tournament, and she never was much for fancy titles.

"Here we were about to switch Mizu out for Ondo in the Virtual Mecha Melee portion." A confident voice said from behind the group. It belonged to a tan girl with sun lightened brown hair. Her clothes were more sporty than the rest of the group, and strapped on her back was a purple hover-board.

"Amethyst," Mizu smiled seeing the last of their little group. "Didn't you have a skating competition today or something?"

Amethyst nodded. "Just wanted to ask if we were meeting up at our usual spot to explore the ruins later?"

"Of course. It is a weekend after all." Mizu smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder.

"Cool," Amethyst removed her board from its straps as she headed towards the exit. "See you guys at the gate." The group waved to her as she hopped on the board and flew off down the street.

"You know your guy's parents would kill you if they found out we've been exploring the ruins, right?" Ray Anne pointed out with a slight giggle.

"Eh, it won't be that bad." Mizu turned towards the girl, and wrapped her arm around Ondo's shoulders. "Besides, I pity anything that tried to attack both me and Ondo at the same time."

"Will the participants of the First Event: VR Cycle Race please report to the VR chambers." An announcement blared over the loud speaker of the arcade. It caused the air around the group to get a little more serious.

"Guess that's my queue." Eva shrugged and began walking toward the large domes that were the VR chambers within the arcade.

"Go show them who the fastest thing since Sonic is." Ray Anne yelled over the crowd of people trying to get into the chambers or to the viewing screens. Eva smiled to her sister and waved back to her before entering the chamber.

"Come on retro-girl." Mizu ruffled Ray Anne's hair. "Let's find a screen to watch the fastest thing alive on."

"Sometimes, I think you're making fun of me." Ray Anne sighed as the three walked through the crowd to find a place to watch the event.

* * *

The VR chambers started off with just a chair, but after the event started a whole environment would be displayed before the player. Eva was a fan of the racing games that could be played on it, and one of those was a motorcycle race that would take her to many fantastic locals. Everyone who played VR games had their own memory stick, to save anything and everything that they could about there experience. Eva's mostly had a customized VR motorcycle that she was sure would strip the paint off of all her competitors.

Eva climbed into the seat, and pulled out her pink memory card. She placed it tightly into its slot on the consul and the environment around her changed. The domed room shifted to reveal a desert wasteland with an electrical storm off in the distance. Lightning struck hard on the ruined cityscape. Building up around her was a black motorcycle with neon pink highlights. A cool breeze rustled her hair before her black helmet wrapped her head. She took a deep breath to calm herself as the other participants appeared around her.

A flash of red filled the air of the sky. Eva placed her hands on the virtually constructed bike's handles. She could here chides from around her. Players trying to get in last minute trash talk before the race could actually start. She was confident in the VR bike she had built. It had been a while since she played, but not long enough.

The flash of yellow began to pulse above the racers. Eva took another deep breath. She could hear the revving of engines. Rain began to poor down onto her helmet and body. It was an exciting buildup. Thunder cracked, and a green flash of lightning blurred to the right of the racers, and they were off. Eva rocketed forward, passing through the ranks to make it to the lead.

Once she had a thorough lead on the pack, Eva began to grow content with her victory. She had hoped for little more of a challenge, either from the racers or the environment. She yawned into her helmet and looked over the lighting crackled scenery. That was when she saw her. A girl flitting between the lightning, dodging it with speed and agility that was only possible in the shows that Ray Anne watched. Beautiful gossamer wings fluttered behind her and seemed to shine with the intensity of the storm. Eva closed her eyes and shook her head to get the vision out. It had to be some kind of distraction. A background noise.

When she opened her eyes, the girl was closer. Flying next to her at break neck speeds as though she weren't even trying. Electricity hopped from her body, and danced around her. The girl smiled and looked at Eva with gentle gray eyes. Eva had seen them before. They were hers, but before Eva could ask any question about it, the girl pointed forward frantically and then disappeared in a flash of light.

Eva looked ahead, shaking off her transfixed weariness, and jerked her bike quickly to just miss smashing into a solid wall. Just ahead was the finish line, and she was happy to end it. Now, she just needed to worry about that strange girl.

She left the VR chamber to the real world and smiled to her friends and sister, who were cheering her success. She could hear the announcer call out the places and the points for each team. In theory they just needed to take first in two out of three events to get the win.

"You okay?" Ondo asked. The Asian girl was always the most observant, though Eva didn't feel all that shaken by the ordeal. She still felt as though she were in a fog. Some kind of hazy dream.

"Yeah, I just saw something...weird." Eva sat down and sighed. She clutched her memory card tightly, and wondered if she could get a video of her racing to see if the girl showed up there.

"Weird how?" Ondo asked with a raised eyebrow. Not just the observant one, Eva didn't like it but Ondo also played a pretty big roll in caring for the group of five. The announcement for the next event rang over the arcade. Ray Anne hugged her sister for good luck before heading to the chamber.

"I saw...a girl, dodging lightning bolts in the storm." Eva explained while watching her sister enter the chamber.

"Maybe it was added for the race." Mizu sat down next to Eva.

"That's what I thought." Eva shrugged in frustration. "But, then she got really close, and warned me of a crash, and that's not the part that worries me. She...she had my eyes. My gray eyes."

Mizu placed a hand on her friends shoulder while standing. "Don't worry about it." Mizu's childish smile couldn't help but make Eva grin.

* * *

Ray Anne settled in shortly after placing her see through blue memory card into the slot. Soon, a cloud filled expanse opened up around her. A shining sun was bright overhead. A sky blue jet constructed around herself. She smiled and grabbed the controls. A blue and white flight suit with helmet wrapped her form. Her jet flew softly through the air, as though it was the air itself. She floated there, looking at the scenery above the clouds and waited for the signal to begin.

When the signal flashed above her, Ray Anne pulled to the right, and avoided a barrage of enemy fire from below. Ray Anne was good at this game, and she was well aware of her skill. She flew into the clouds and watched her radar screen for anything out of the ordinary. There was a small blip that came and went nearby her at times. She marked it as a glitch and tried her hardest to focus on the task at hand.

A ping lit up her radar above her. "An enemy!" She shouted to herself and flew up out of the clouds. Skyrocketing up into the fray she expected to see another jet, but her eyes widened at the appearance of a girl standing on the nose of her jet. Her brown hair cut into a delicate bob whipped around the girl's face, but she overall seemed to not care about the high speed winds. From her back, flicked two fairy wings that moved with the same rhythm as the gale.

The girl smiled, and then seemed to vanish as though she were made of vapor. Ray Anne was still in shock. Enough so, that she didn't notice the enemy fighter coming at her from above. When she finally came out of her trance, she was already fired upon. First, her left wing was shredded with a flurry of energy bolts. She pulled to the side, trying to avoid a direct hit. It wasn't enough though, and her jet began to fall apart. Hunks of metal and broken glass shattered around her, and she didn't care as the virtual world began to break apart. She felt as though it were more natural for her to be outside of the metal jet and in the open air.

The door to Ray Anne's VR chamber opened and the girl stumbled slowly out. She was caught by her sister, Eva's arms holding her up. They moved her over to a bench where the group of five were able to sit and rest.

"You okay?" Eva asked while placing a hand on Ray Anne's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but..." Ray Anne started to explain with a gentle sigh. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and seemed to try and catch her breath. She was still trying to come up with an explanation for the girl that she saw on the nose of her plane.

"Let me guess?" Ondo interrupted her. The girl crossed her arms and looked as though she was also trying to think of some way to justify the events that had been happening around their little group. "A girl with wings?"

Ray Anne nodded to that statement. The group paused for a moment, and were silent in waiting for the end of the second round. They sighed with relief in being merely tied for first place.

"Girl's with wings?" Mizu placed a finger to her chin. Her words broke the silence of the group's thinking. Mizu often talked out her thoughts. "And in two different instances. One in the clouds, and one in lightning...what if?"

"If you are about to say the words 'what if we are the next Guardians,' you better banish those thoughts right now." Ondo scolded with her hands on her hips. Her chocolate eyes narrowed in annoyance.

""But, this is how the girls in the story..." Mizu pleaded.

Ondo walked over to the brunette and placed a finger to Mizu's lips. "Banish the thought." Mizu unleashed muffled sounds of complaint, which continued until the the girl finally mumbled an "okay."

With that, the announcement for the next event echoed over the busy arcade. Mizu walked towards the domed VR chamber and gave a thumbs up before going inside.

"So, what do you think those girl's are then?" Ray Anne asked. She pulled her legs up to her chest and looked up at Ondo from the bench.

"Just traps put into the system." Ondo recrossed her arms and looked to the video screen the group was closest to.

"But that doesn't explain why we couldn't see the girl that Ray Anne saw." Eva complained. The group had watched the event that Ray Anne was in on the view screen and there was nothing on Ray Anne's jet.

"There is a logical explanation for everything." Ondo growled under her breath..

* * *

"Ocean Frontier, huh?" Mizu said as she strode onto the sand of the virtually constructed world. Mechanical sapphire plate armor formed onto her body in a form fitting mesh. Mizu moved her goggles to over her eyes and she smiled wide. This was her favorite landscape for mechanical armor battles. It was simple. Just a beach, and the roving waves. Her opponents walked around her through the water. "Hard for enemies to hide here."

With the signal, she dashed forward. Two of the black armored combatants were caught off guard, and she quickly cut into them with her armor's sword. Their silhouettes faded behind her. Mizu's attention was pulled to a guy in red armor. There was a huge mace in his right hand. Whomever he was, he was crushing through those people that attacked him.

His back turned to her. "_Excellent._" She thought, and dashed forward. She was about to swing an upper slash across the warrior's back, but she stopped. A girl seemed to pull herself out of the water, as though she were made out of it. Her wings flicked droplets of water into the air, misting Mizu's face. She looked up into Mizu's eyes, and smiled before shattering in an explosion of water.

"Wait!" Mizu shouted, and lifted up her hand. She didn't see the blow coming for her armored form's gut. She is launched backward and slid to a stop a short distance away.

"Maybe you should focus on your enemy." The red armored boy said with a slight chuckle to his voice.

"Sorry, I got distracted." Mizu raised her sword. The blue blade reflected the water of the waves. Mizu readied herself. The boy lifted his mace at the ready. Both stared each other down, the battle being determined with whomever flinched.

Mizu hopped forward. The boy swung his mace forward. Her years of kendo practice helped her hop to the side of the attack. She swung quickly and cut through her opponent. In a fluid motion, she sheathed her blade as the boy's silhouette vanished.

"Well, we should be getting first." Mizu said as she walked out of the chamber. Ondo stared her down while the other two cheered for her. "I did win, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Ondo sighed, and spoke in a very sage like tone. "But, you shouldn't have gotten hit back there."

"Sorry," Mizu scratched the back of her head. "I just got...distracted."

"If you say you saw a girl with wings, I'll smack you out of fairy tale land." Ondo waved her finger in front of Mizu. The scowl on Ondo's face sent the signal that she was not wanting to hear anymore of it.

"Fine, I won't say it then." Mizu stuck her tongue out towards Ondo, and crossed her arms delicately in front of herself. Ondo growled and picked Mizu up into the air. The brunette's squirming was interrupted by the announcement that the group had won the tournament. The owner of the arcade was happy to present the group with their trophy, and after a short time of celebration the girls leave the arcade.

* * *

The group of four talked about random things as they walked to the place they used to go into the old city ruins. It was a smaller hole in the wall, found by Mizu and Ondo when they used to play in the park nearby. They stopped going there after Ondo moved into the downtown area of the New City.

Now, only they group of five girls knew about the hole. If others did know about it, then it would be sealed up because of the dangers outside the city. Though they had never encountered anything that they would describe as dangerous.

"So, how'd it go?!" Amethyst shouted and waved to the floor from the hole in the wall. She stepped away and ran a little towards the group, a bandage around her left leg.

"We got first." Mizu smiled calmly. "Despite some weird occurrences."

"Well, something weird happened to me during my event too." Amethyst sighed and motioned to her bandage wrapped leg. She scratched the back of her head as she continued to speak. "A girl with wings came out of nowhere and caused me to biff it."

Ray Anne placed a hand on her chin. She paced a bit as if thinking to herself. "We encountered girls with wings too."

"So much for being just traps in the game, huh." Eva nudged Ondo in the arm. Ondo quickly recovered from her look of confusion and returned to her collected appearance. She then glared at Eva in an attempt to get the chiding girl to stop with her shenanigans.

"I'm going to reopen my 'we are the next Guardians theory.'" Mizu grinned wide and air quoted her theory's name.

Ondo growled, and grabbed hold of Mizu's shoulder. "I thought I told you to banish that thought."

"I did," Mizu glanced over her shoulder with a care free grin. "But now I'm un-banishing it. After all, you are the only one to not have seen these mystery girls."

"So," Amethyst spoke up before the two could start another argument. "Are we going or not?"

"We're going." The two say in unison without taking their eyes off of one another. They turned and walked to the human sized hole in the perimeter fence. One would have to actually crawl to get through the hole, but the girls could easily get through. Once on the other side, they could see the old city that looked lost to time. Trees and plants clung to the walls of buildings, much of the glass had been shattered long ago. The old city was an interesting place as scientists were baffled by the fact it was so well preserved. It looked as though a powerful storm caused the city's destruction. Once everyone made it through the hole the group could begin their trek through the city.

* * *

"So, what exactly are we looking for this time?" Ray Anne asked calmly. She hopped over a fallen street lamp as the girls made their way down the broken and cracked sidewalk.

"You know, anything that just jumps out at you?" Mizu said while looking through a dust covered window into an old cafe. The tables and chairs were scattered around the room, and no doubt much of the fragile cups and mugs were shattered all over the place.

"Most people don't usually want things jumping out at them." Eva spoke up as she turned a corner. The way she talked made her sound like she was in some sort of trance, but the group followed her. Eva led them through the streets, almost like she knew exactly where to go, before stopping abruptly in front of an old restaurant that had an Asian style construction. On the sign that was still barely hanging on the front were the words Silver Dragon.

"So, why'd you lead us here?" Amethyst asked. The tan girl walked up and placed her hand on the wooden door. It looked old and the paint looked to have been battered away by incredible winds.

"I don't know." Eva responded and shook her head. It was almost like she was coming out of a trance. "I just felt drawn here."

"You know what this means, right?" Mizu asked. She was in a good mood. This was another piece to the puzzle of what was happening to them. She liked where the puzzle was taking her.

"No, but I'm sure it supports your fairy tale theory?" Ondo placed her hand to her forehead and followed the rest of the group into the old restaurant. It looked just overly dusty on the inside. Its furniture and table clothes just lightened by the sun more than anything. The interior itself was remarkably well intact.

"Well, this old ruin of a city was Heatherfield, correct?" Mizu continued to ask. She walked with her hand on her chin, as though she was working through everything in her mind. She was, and there had to be a reason why the five of them were involved, a reason for the girls with wings, and everything kept falling back on the tales of the Guardians.

"Yes," the rest respond in unison.

"And, the restaurant is the Silver Dragon." Mizu continued, stopping and leaning on one of the tables. Ondo looked to be keeping watch out of one of the windows while Eva and Amethyst looked through the shelves and open kitchen. Ray Anne seemed to have gone up the stairs a ways, but it looked as though parts of the second floor were damaged and not as pristine as the downstairs.

"Yeah, we can read the sign Mizu." Ray Anne shouted down. The girl had begun to descend the stairs and was looking rather annoyed by the lack of anything that she thought interesting.

"Here it comes." Ondo's sigh went unnoticed by the others. Mizu knew that the Asian was one of the few that knew her best. Mizu liked that about Ondo, and it made Mizu slightly happy that her friend was doting over her so much. It was why she considered Ondo to be such a good friend.

"Well, do you really think its a coincidence that both this restaurant and this town are written about in my book about the adventures of the Guardians, and is it a coincidence that at least four of us saw winged girls while we were going about our days, and that we were somehow mysteriously led to this exact restaurant?" Mizu said with a wry smile and began moving towards the kitchen. In her book, she read about the basement. It was the secret meeting place of the Guardians. That's where anything interesting would be. She could hear her friends walking behind her on the creaking old wooden floor.

"You are going where with this?" Eva asked as the group met within the basement. It looked different than above. The basement looked tossed. The old futon smashed open, shelves emptied of books, and even the walls dug open in places. It was as if someone was looking for something.

"I'm thinking that this is as good a place as any to start finding answers to what the hell is going on." Mizu placed her hands on her hips and smiled wide.

"I think I found something!" Eva shouted. She was already sprawled on the ground, trying to reach something under and old wooden dresser. Mizu could swear that she saw the glint of something within the shadows, but blinked and Eva was already standing again. She was holding something. She opened her hand slowly, and the room was illuminated by pink glow. "I saw this thing under the dresser and thought I'd pick it up."

The light died down to reveal a shard of what looked like pink glass. It was almost a gemstone in appearance, and it still shimmered a pink light. It seemed like it was at peace in Eva's hands. The light coming from it, almost playful as the girl's watched it.

A soft breeze, cold and ominous kicked up, and seemed to move up the stairs and out of the basement. The group then heard the sounds of something, or someone big walking on the floor above them. It was unusual for people to leave the colony, and from the sounds of the footsteps, whatever was above them was incredibly large.

"Please do come up girls, my companion and I do not bite." A girl's voice shouted down from the top of the stairs. Mizu gulped, and she could see that Ondo was on edge as well. This day did just keep getting stranger and stranger.

The group went up to the kitchen. Waiting for them was a girl, not much older than them perhaps younger. She was dressed in black and gold, and her golden hair was tied back into braided pig tails. Her makeup was dark and she smiled wickedly. Behind her, through the kitchen window, they saw a massive hulk of a man squatting in the main room. He was possibly too big to truly fit inside the restaurant and thus was in a position that made it more accommodating to his size. At his side was a tree branch sized cudgel that looked to be able to smash through the wall at a given notice.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Ondo was quick to ask. She and Mizu placed themselves between the group and this strange girl. They were more like the fighters in the party, and defending the rest from harm.

"You've picked up a new trinket." The girl smiled. It was almost sadistic in nature. "I am wanting it. Hand it over?"

"That means you know what it is?" Eva asked calmly. She was clutching the small shard as tightly as she could. Mizu wondered why she was so nervous.

"It is one of the pieces of the Heart of Candracar. You will give it to me?" The girl held up her hand. The breeze kicked up again. This time it snapped open the back door. It was as though it was trying to tell them to run.

"I wouldn't hand over the Heart of Candracar!" Mizu screamed and picked up a knife. It was tight in her grip, and she was trembling. This was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. She was living her dream, and now was already on the verge of defending it. She wasn't all that sure she could handle it.

"This is no time to play fairy tale." Ondo's brown eyes glared back at Mizu. It was a look of determination. Mizu could only hope that her body was telling Ondo to help her.

"Then you will give it to me?" The girl spoke. Her blue eyes narrowing in a hint of anger and impatience.

"Its not mine to give, Eva?" Ondo looked to the one actually holding the gem. It was placed to her chest. Mizu could tell that she was scared. It was one of the few times Mizu saw fear in Eva's eyes. The only other time was whenever Ray Anne was in danger.

"I'm with Mizu!" Eva shouted. Mizu nodded and Ondo turned to look at the girl.

Her face was scrunched up in annoyance. The blond was definitely not the patient type, and that could mean a world of trouble for them. She growled. "I was actually hoping you'd put up a fight."

She snapped her finders and the restaurant shook. The brute with the club was standing. His head smashing through the ceiling. Mizu was feeling that she and the others should heed the breeze and make a run for it.

"Everyone, run!" Mizu shouted and turned towards the door. She dropped the knife she picked up and made for the door with her friends. The building continued to rattle as the brute crashed through into the kitchen, but something was pushing on their backs, as though the air were helping them to go faster.

The two continued onward, the remains of the Silver Dragon smashing behind them, and they didn't stop their dead sprint until they were almost back at the entrance of the colony. The looked behind them, and there was nothing. Even the helpful breeze seemed to have disappeared.

"What now?" Eva was the first to stop, and she had an easier time catching her breath than the rest of the girls. She leaned up against the colony wall and stared into the ruins. Mizu could tell she was still trying to get over what just happened in the restaurant.

"We go home and get some sleep." Ondo walked up from the rear. Mizu mouthed a silent thank you to her. It was comforting to have friends like her.

"Ondo's right." Mizu stood up strait and took a deep breath. "We should get some rest. Tomorrow we'll meet at my house and go to the person I take artifacts to. He may be able to tell us more. He's pretty smart."

"Okay," Eva stood and stuffed the shard into Mizu's hand. The pink thing squirmed a little and hissed, but died down slightly. "You hang on to that. You seem to know more about it than me anyway."

Mizu nodded, and the girls reentered the colony. They each went their separate ways. The gem in Mizu's hand seemed to get more agitated the farther it got from Eva. Mizu smiled because it helped to confirm what the crystal was. It also told her that Eva was the gem's keeper. Which had to mean that everyone else were the other four. This was so cool. Mizu was excited.

* * *

Mizu woke early, mainly because of the gem's reaction to being separated from Eva and her excitement. Since she was still waiting for her friends to arrive, Mizu combed her book. She looked for anything that could be helpful in determining what was going on, but there was nothing. This was the first time she noticed, her book just stopped. It was like there were supposed to be more chapters, yet there was nothing at the end.

Mizu sighed in annoyance and slipped the book into her bag. She heard knocking at the door. No doubt Ondo had arrived, early as usual. It wouldn't be long before the others showed up. Mizu grabbed the gem, which she had wrapped in a thick shirt to stop its noise and light show, and headed downstairs.

It seemed that no one was able to sleep much. The events of yesterday still weighed heavily in their minds. The first thing Mizu did was give the gem to Eva. It immediately stopped its racket and display, returning to a normal state. She left quickly, waving goodbye to her brother who had most likely gotten up.

"So, who is this guy we are going to be seeing?" Ondo asked. The girls had remained silent through most of the trip to the warehouse part of the colony. Mizu attributed it to them all not getting enough sleep last night.

"Dr. Naginata," Mizu yawned. She really wasn't able to explain. "He's been researching old lore, and I've been bringing him things from Heatherfield to help with his research. I'm wondering what he'll say about our little gem there."

Dr. Naginata's lab looked to be an old mech part warehouse. The front seemed to be converted into a business while the back was probably just used for storage. Ondo waved some dust out of the air. It was obvious the shop wasn't running. "And you trust this guy?"

"Of course," Mizu walked up to a desk that held piles of books and papers on it. There was a bell on the corner of the desk. Mizu rang the bell a couple of times, prompting the door to the back room to open.

Out walked a man, rather slim looking, wearing a white coat. His black hair was wild and looked as though it were windblown. He looked at the group of five girls and smiled, pushing his glasses up his face.

"Mizu, I wasn't expecting you." Dr. Naginata said. He moved to his desk and placed down what he was working on. He looked up at the group as he sat down. Dark brown eyes were watching with anticipation. "I take it you must have found something interesting."

Mizu nodded and motioned to Eva. She stepped forward and placed the gem on the desk. It shimmered in a slight pink light, and Mizu explained the events of the day before. About the restaurant, the girl and the brute, and that the stone shard might be the Heart of Candracar.

"Really, you don't say." Dr. Naginata picked the shard up. It immediately began hissing and flashing until Dr. Naginata was placed it back down. He put his hand to his chin and stared at the pink shard of glass with intent. "Tell me girls, have you been experiencing anything strange lately?"

"Define strange." Amethyst laughed a little. A lot of things that have been happening to the group could constitute as strange. Even, Mizu wanted to know what the doctor meant. Otherwise, the girl and brute would most likely have fit the bill.

"Like, girls with wings coming into your sight, and then vanishing as though never there." Dr. Naginata leaned forward and placed his elbows on his desk. The group looked at each other and all of them had a look of regret on their faces. It was like they were all trying to tell that it was just a dream.

"Flying through a lightning storm." Eva sighed. She was the first to encounter such a thing.

"Standing on my jet then dispersing." Ray Anne spoke up next.

"Dissolving in water on a beach." Mizu kept the round table reveals going.

"Petting the exhaust of a hover board." Amethyst rubbed her shoulder.

Ondo gulped and had a reluctant tone to her voice. "Walking through a solid brick wall on my way home."

After Ondo spoke, Dr. Naginata smiled wider. He leaned back once again, turning in his chair. He pulled a book off of one of the shelves. It was beaten up and more damaged, but Mizu was able to recognize it. It was the same book as the one she had in her bag.

"The book of the guardians." Mizu pointed to it.

"Ah," Dr. Naginata placed it on the desk. "So, you've heard of this book."

"Until just recently we thought it was just Mizu's bedtime stories." Ray Anne laughed. Mizu growled and glared at her friend, causing the group to laugh with her.

"They are not mere stories I'm afraid." Dr. Naginata sighed as he began explaining. "I have reason to believe the stories in this book are quite real. Thus, I can believe that the gem before us is in fact the Heart of Candracar, or what is left of it. The book doesn't really explain much beyond a certain point. As though things were purposefully left out or removed."

"My copy is the same." Mizu sighed dejectedly.

"Well, I can only assume some things from my research, but if you girls would follow me." Dr. Naginata stood and motioned for the girls to step into the back. The group looked at each other and followed close behind. Eva grabbed the shard of the heart as she passed the desk.

"Wow!" Ray Anne shouted and hopped for joy. The back room looked like some kind of mobile operating center. There were computers with monitors and other consoles that could do all sorts of things. In the center of the room was a round table like pedestal with five watch like bracelets on it. "Its just like a Power Ranger command center. So, cool."

"Yes, it does resemble one of those." Dr. Naginata laughed to himself. He scratched the back of his head and walked up to the computer. "It still needs a lot of work but with the help of you girls and the heart. Perhaps, we could improve it."

"I'm up to it." Ray Anne smiled and saluted. "I'm really good with technology."

"She did get a lot of old school stuff to work around the house. If only to watch the shows she likes." Eva shrugged and smiled. Mizu knew that Eva was proud of her sister.

"There is something else." Dr. Naginata made his way over to the table. He placed his hand on one of the silver devices on top of it. "You see. There is something I discovered while looking for information on the guardians and other lore." He pressed a couple of buttons on the console closest to him. The screen lit up in display of some strange creature with glowing yellow eyes, black skin, and blade like appendages for forearms.

"Whoa, what is that?" Amethyst asked the question on everyone's minds. It was definitely a strange beast, and looked to blend into the dark surroundings of the ruins.

"I call it a Shadow Beast." Dr. Naginata turned off the video. "It was powerful and strong. Repelled any attack that my colleague and myself could throw at it, and we barely got away."

"So, there are a lot of strange animals around now. Its why there are colony walls." Ondo crossed her arms. Mizu could tell that the Asian was still looking for some form of reasonable explanation. Though, the rest of them were definitely not asking any more questions after the events of yesterday.

"This was no animal. It was different. There was no blood, no calls or threat displays. It just attacked." Dr. Naginata shook his head. "If someone were to be able to control such creatures. There would be very little to stop them. That is why I made devices, capable of making people strong enough to stand against them. Just, there is no power source capable of lasting effect."

"None that you've found at least." Mizu looked over to Eva.

"Exactly, if that gem is in deed the Heart of Candracar then its power is limitless, at least according to old stories." Dr. Naginata walked over to the table. "It would be the only option that we have left, but only Eva can agree to it."

"Why me?" Eva asked.

"A hearts power can only be given willingly, never taken. You're the keeper. The heart is yours." Mizu placed a hand on her friends shoulder, and smiled. It made Eva smile as well, and nod in response.

"It's worth a try." Eva said, opening her hand and watching the mesmerizing light of the gem.

"It'll take some time, but I could easily hook up a harness. There are some parts in the front I can use." Ray Anne said looking at the table. The group nodded to each other, and Ray Anne ran into the front to get the parts she needed. She came back with an armful of smaller things and began work, leaving the rest to sit and watch. Ray Anne rarely liked to be disturbed while working.

"You girls seem very calm about all this." Dr. Naginata spoke up and looked at the other four.

"Trust me, after being around Mizu and Ms. Retro, you get used to it." Ondo sighed. Mizu nodded and the four laughed.

"That and last night certainly helped." Eva was looking over everything else in the room. Mizu could definitely agree that it looked like a futuristic command center. Probably like one of the ones on the moon colony or the space transports between Earth and the moon.

"Done." Ray Anne wiped her forehead after she finished tightening the last bolt. The group approached the table, while Dr. Naginata began fiddling with the panel near by.

"Alright, what now?" Eva asked.

"Place the heart on the holster." Dr. Naginata began to instruct. Eva nodded and put the shard of crystal on table so it rested slightly above the silver bracelets. Though, the gem was still glowing in its hypnotic pink light. "Now, activate it."

"Activate it?" Eva looked over her shoulder. Her eyes questioning every word.

"Say Guardians Unite and focus on the crystal." Mizu instructed with a confident grin. She was trying her best to insure her friend it would be okay, but Mizu was a little scared as to what would happen. The heart was a crystal sphere, not a shard like it was now. What if something bad happened by activating it in such a state.

Eva nodded and looked at the crystal. She took a deep breath. "Guardian's Unite."

The shard lit up frantically. The light eclipsing the room just a bit. When it died down, the orbs on the bracelets were glowing. One red, one blue, one pink, one green, and one white. The lights seemed like they were playful in the way they sat in the silver cases. Mizu was a little less excited, but felt that something was right about it. The gem itself was floating above the table, just out of the holster, and slowly rotating as though it were on an axis.

"It worked." Dr. Naginata said with joy. He was pressing more and more buttons on the panel he was at. "Power levels are staying at normal levels." An alarm shouted over the command center, a lot of its lights had also come on when the gemstone activated. The alarm was definitely new. "Its them, a group of Shadow Beasts are in the colony."

He pulled up a screen that showed they were near the hole the girls used to come and go to the ruins. Dr. Naginata was able to pull up a camera view somehow. It was the girl from yesterday. She was walking down the street and around her was a group of the same creatures that Dr. Naginata had shown earlier.

"Now's a good time as any to try these. I'm assuming they are like morphers." Ray Anne grabbed the one with the white orb and smiled, looking at the others.

"I'm not letting you do this alone, little ranger." Eva grabbed hold of the pink one.

"Well, could be fun." Amethyst grabbed hold of the red one and pulled it on quickly. "And, I want to know what this is all about anyway."

"I'm in. I've seen too much to worry about it now." Mizu grabbed tightly onto the blue one. Her smile grew wider as she pulled it onto her arm. It seemed natural for it to be with her.

"Might as well make sure you guys don't get hurt." Ondo lifted the last bracelet. The one with the green orb.

"Be careful girls. I'm not sure the transformation will truly work with the heart in such a state." Dr. Naginata voiced his warning. "But, there is no time to test anything. We need to hope for the best."

"Right, Mizu what do we do?" Eva looked to the brown haired one. Actually, all of Mizu's friends were looking at her expectantly.

Mizu gulped. "But, Eva's supposed to be the leader. She's the Keeper. That's the Guardians' leader."

"You know more about this and everything we can do than anyone else here." Ondo put a comforting hand on Mizu's shoulder. Her smile was reassuring. "You're the most qualified to lead."

"Okay then." Mizu took a deep breath and nodded to the group. She looked over at Dr. Naginata. "How do these work?"

"Run your hand over the orb and say the activation phrase." Dr. Naginata responded. He was working on pinpointing something. Focusing more on the console than on the girls.

Mizu nodded. She lifted the silver bangle up in front of her. "Guardians Ready?"

"Ready." Her friends said in unison, and all at once they did as instructed to activate the morphers. "Guardians Unite."

A flash of light illuminated every inch of the command room. Its glow was harsh and shared the five colors of the orb's on the girl's morphers. Mizu couldn't see what was happening to the others, but she felt like she was floating. The orb sunk into the morpher, entering her skin at the wrist. Her body felt like it was submerged in water, soaked all the way to the bone. Parts of her began to feel chilled, like sheets of ice were put on them. She closed her eyes at the feeling, and then felt her body drying out. The liquid vanishing. She landed gently on the ground, silver armored feet clanking onto the cement floor.

Mizu stood up, she and her friends were in sliver armor, each accented with a different color, that covered their torsos, feet, and forearms. Their faces were obscured by a silver and black visor that covered their eyes, ears, and parts of their cheeks. From the five's backs extended the wings of a guardian. Mizu twitched hers and floated on them. She knew that they would have to get used to it quickly. the city needed help and the Guardians were on the job.

"Okay," Amethyst hopped onto her wings and showed off her more mature form. "A girl can so get used to this."

"Wow, I'm really am a Power Ranger now!" Ray Anne shot into the sky. She seemed to be a natural on her wings. She flitted around the ceiling of the command center, using the full size to the warehouse to her advantage.

"Not very modest outfits." Ondo eluded to the fact that the armor was very form fitting. Unlike the others she kept her feet securely on the ground.

"Well, I like it. Shows off our curves." Eva laughed and kept floating above the heart.

"Guardians focus." Mizu crossed her arms in front of her chest. The girls turned their attention back to their proclaimed leader. Mizu took a deep breath. Their goal had to be protecting the people of the colony for right now. Hopefully, they could get some answers on who the girl in black was, but as of right then. "Our job right now is to stop the Shadow Beasts and that girl. We can do this."

"I'm sending you the coordinates of the Shadow Beasts. You should be able to see it on your visors." Dr. Naginata said and pressed a button to start opening the roof of the warehouse. The five girls nodded to him and took flight through the roof.

* * *

Police were already on the scene when the Guardians began their flyby. Their mechs looked to be on the defensive as their weapons looked to only be able to damage the smaller of the creatures. The girl in black stood behind her shadow creatures, a wide smile on her lips. She looked to be enjoying herself.

When the girls landed her face changed from its wicked smile to wide eyed surprise and shock. Her purple eyes looking on at the spectacle in front of her. The five guardians landing and readying themselves to defend the people behind them. She shouted. "No! No, you should not be able to transform!"

"Well, we did." Mizu retorted. She stood strong and confident and glared down the strange girl. "And we aren't very happy that you are sicking your pets on our home turf."

"Who are they?" Mizu heard one of the officers ask from behind them.

"We're the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions." The girls said in unison, lifting their arms up to allow the orbs on their morphers to sparkle in a dazzling display. "Defenders of Light."

The girl just hissed, a fold tearing open behind her. The blue light causing her to look even more menacing. She lifted her hand forward. "Destroy them!"

Ten of the larger ones rushed from the fold as it enveloped her and closed. The ones attacking the Guardians had their talons stretched outward. The girls each got ready. Mizu gulped. They didn't really have a chance to get used to the fact that they now had magic powers, but they would need to get used to it quickly.

"Two a piece." Mizu hopped forward. She dodged underneath the first that came at her and slashed. She spun and blasted strait through the creature with a powerful stream of water. It dispersed the creature into a puff of black smoke.

The others scattered away from Ondo, who stood her ground. The first one to her lunged at her. She stepped to the side and punched through the creature's torso. She lifted her arm, catching her opponents talon on her armored forearm. Her counter punch sent a spike of earth out of the ground that shredded the creature in two. "This almost seems unfair."

"Like I said," Amethyst hopped over her two and blasted them with powerful balls of flame. Her wings kept her floating in the air. "A girl can get used to this."

Ray Anne had smashed through one of her two with a fierce kick to the side of its head, and then spun. She launched her second opponent into the air with a fierce twister. Its body dispersed as it came to the ground. "You're just excited because you get to through fire."

Eva dodged swift attack after swift attack. Her speed seemed to be amplified by her transformed state. It was quite the rush, and she used it to her advantage. She positioned herself just right so that the two creatures cleaved themselves in half when she dodged again. She smiled at her defeated foes and flew over to where the others were.

Mizu slammed a knee into the last one, knocking it up into the air. She took to her wings, a ball of water forming in front of her fist. She sent the creature flying higher as the high pressure stream cut through its chest. As it died, it hissed. "The dark queen of Meridian will have this world."

"What did it mean by that?" Ondo asked as the group floated by one another.

"No idea, but it shouldn't be possible." Mizu sighed. She then winced as the spotlights of the police mechs pointed on them. Mizu covered her face with her arm. "Right now, lets get out of here before we're eating bullets."

With that, the girls flew away as fast as they could. They could only hope the shock of seeing them made it so they weren't followed.

* * *

"A dark queen on Meridian, impossible." Dr. Naginata crossed his arms in front of his chest. The girls flew towards the ruins and came back a different route to the warehouse. They returned to their normal forms when they got back to the command center.

"That's what I said." Mizu leaned up against one of the consoles. Her arms were crossed and she looked intently on the ground. She was still trying to wrap her head around that information. Could that dark queen be the girl they saw, and if it was. How would they be able to stop her?

"Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do but keep the shadow beasts at bay right now." Dr. Naginata leaned back in his chair. He looked at the girls. It had been some time since their battle and from the news scanners that Dr. Naginata had going, the Guardians had cause quite a stir. The entire city wanted to learn their identities of their new protectors. "But, a warning girls, those morphers will work for whomever wears them. So, keep them safe."

The group nodded and waved goodbye as they left the command center.


End file.
